Tabula Rasa
by choccofrog
Summary: What if Damon made Jeremy forget more than just Vicki? A/N: Title means 'clean slate' in Latin.


Damon would deny it until his last breath, but deep down he's actually a good person. Granted, he's done some very bad things but that doesn't mean that he didn't have the ability to do good, most of the time it just wasn't worth the time or energy to bother. Instead he chose to _embrace_ his true nature, to revel in being a superior species, a powerful predator and an efficient killer. Vampires weren't the only predator who liked to play with their food, so why shouldn't he have some fun?

His brother was living in his own self-inflicted misery, one where he was wasting his potential. He was far too busy letting morals and humanity get in the way of his natural behaviour and Damon didn't like that one bit. How was he supposed to make his brother's life even more of a misery when Stefan's shortcomings had landed him Elena? Damon couldn't deny his attraction to her - it was impossible not to be drawn to her when she was eerliy identical to Katherine - but she was just too damn _nice_. She and Stefan were a good match in that respect but Damon would still do his damnedest to come in between them because...well, he and Stefan had lots of unresolved issues, so he could pick a number and blame it on that one. The reason didn't matter, just that it would get results.

As the eldest Salvatore brother stepped onto the Gilbert porch, he could hear Jeremy's soft sobs as well as the Stefan's bleating about not being strong enough to make Jeremy forget. Damon had already made his mind up before he got to the door what he was going to do - whether either of the lovebirds wanted him to - and nobody was going to stop him. Stefan was weak and if it came down to it, Damon would win that fight because Bambi blood was no match for the real thing.

Damon hovered on the landing outside Jeremy's bedroom. What was it about the young man a few feet away that had Damon he feeling so generous, so _human?_ And why was he _feeling_, anyway? The good part of him knew that the reason he was going to take away Jeremy's suffering was because Damon himself was all too familiar with the pain of having the object of your infatuation ripped from you.

Sighing, the vampire stepped over the threshold into the teen's room. Jeremy was curled up on the bed, facing away from the door. He clearly hadn't heard Damon approaching so Damon gently tapped on the door to make his presence known.

"Go away!" came the gravelly response.

"Well now, is that any way to greet a visitor?" Damon said in his usual sarcastic tone.

Jeremy sat up quickly, obviously surprised.

"I thought it was Elena again," Jeremy said, wiping his wet cheeks with the sleeve of his hoodie.

Damon leaned against the door frame, ankles crossed and flashed his trademark smirk, "You got lucky, I'm the better looking, less brooding one. Can I come in?" he gestured towards the room at large.

Jeremy frowned, "You've already been _invited in_, can't you just do what you want?"

Pushing away from the door, Damon huffed a laughed, "I was just being polite, _of course_ I can do what I want. I can make other people do what I want, too. I often do, as a matter of fact."

He sat on the edge of the bed and turned his body towards Jeremy, so close that their knees were almost touching. Jeremy looked at their proximity but didn't move. He looked Damon straight in the eye with a curious look on his face, "Are you going to make me do want you want?"

Damon narrowed his eyes, "Why would I do that?"

Jeremy sniffled and started picking at imaginary fluff on his jeans, but said nothing.

Damon waited somewhat patiently but when Jeremy was obviously not going to answer, he grasped Jeremy's chin and applied enough force to lift the boy's head but careful not to be too rough. The kid was in mourning after all and contrary to Stefan's beliefs, Damon wasn't a complete bastard all the time. When Jeremy finally lifted his eyes to meet Damon's, the vampire saw a little fear in them along with the sadness, and something else he couldn't place at the moment.

"Well?"

Jeremy jerked his head away from Damon's grip. "Because you _can_, do you need a reason?"

Damon frowned now, "What do you think I'd make you do?"

Jeremy shrugged, "You could make me do anything, especially something you know I wouldn't want to."

Damon was starting to get a little pissed off now, what was the kid getting at? "That didn't answer my question, what _specifically_ do you think I'd make you do?

Jeremy avoided eye contact with him, "Something humiliating like, I dunno, kiss you or something."

Damon clutched his chest dramatically, "Are you telling me you don't find me attractive, Gilbert? I'm wounded!"

Jeremy opened his mouth to reply but then closed it. A blush was spreading across his cheeks.

_Oh, well this could be interesting _, Damon thought. He could feel himself smirking as he moved closer to the teen. He put his own hand over Jeremy's where it was back to picking at his jeans, then slowly slid his hand up the muscular denim, clad thigh. Jeremy froze but didn't make a move to stop him so Damon moved even closer and cupped Jeremy's face in both hands. "Do you _want_ to kiss me, Jeremy?"

Jeremy shook his head, but the darkness in his eyes followed by the way they tracked Damon's tongue as he licked his lips, told the vampire otherwise.

The kid was hardly unattractive so Damon decided he'd have a little fun. He leaned in and pressed his lips to Jeremy's softly. He pulled back to find a shocked look but Jeremy still didn't move away so Damon leaned in again, his lips a little firmer this time and licked against Jeremy's bottom lip. He tasted the remnants of blood and assumed Vicki must have bitten him.

This did make the teen pull back and touch his own lip in a kind of daze but let Damon guide his hand away, to replace it once again with his own lips. It didn't take long before Jeremy was clutching Damon's shoulders and kissing him back.

While Damon was planning on testing the waters, it seemed Jeremy was all in because he was soon pushing his hot, searching tongue into the vampire's mouth. Damon kissed back, tilting the teen's head for a better angle and found himself wishing that they could keep doing this, but there was no time. He reluctantly pulled away and was tempted to start all over again at the disappointed noise Jeremy made.

_This isn't the time_ Damon told himself before he looked deep into Jeremy's eyes once more. "You're going to listen to me Jeremy. Vicki left town and she's not coming back…"

Stepping back on to the porch he was wound tight. "It's done," he said, and left.

Hours later, lying in bed Damon couldn't help but replay the evening's events in his head. He needed that crystal, he's gotten a perverse sense of happiness that Stefan had failed in his 'project' but most of all he thought about the kiss. There was no compulsion, Jeremy had _wanted it_. Maybe it had just been the heat of the moment and the kid just wanted some comfort after a traumatic experience, or maybe there was more to it.

Drifting off to sleep, Damon knew the would be going back to Jeremy's bedroom when all this had blown over and see if he was right, and if he was, he and Jeremy would be doing a lot more than kiss. And next time, Damon wouldn't make him forget.

- END -


End file.
